


Bathtime

by Humansunshine



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: 3x05: Stronger Than Heaven, Bathing/Washing, Fluff, Hair Washing, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-25 02:00:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14368470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Humansunshine/pseuds/Humansunshine
Summary: After their spats today, Magnus and Alec just want a little quiet time together.





	Bathtime

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write a little something set during this episode, and then I got this prompt: I don't care in which situation there are but can you write a short fic where Alec loves Magnus' hair and he plays with it or stroke it

“Do you wanna take a bath tonight?” Alec asked tentatively as he put his empty martini glass on the coffee table.

Magnus smiled, his eyes gentle. “Needing some cuddles, Alexander?”

“Always,” Alec shrugged. “So…?”

“It’s already running.”

Alec hummed, standing and holding out his hand to Magnus. The older man laughed softly at his lover’s neediness, but twined their fingers together and let Alec lead the way to the bathroom. When they reached the bathroom, Alec let his hand go and turned to close the door. “Magnus, I need you to know, I’m really serious about this. About you.”

“I know, angel,” Magnus nodded, cupping Alec’s face in both hands. “I know. And I’m just as serious. I hope you understand why I put the brakes on earlier today. I just don’t think we’re quite ready yet. That doesn’t mean that I love you any less… It just means that we need to have a little more mileage on our relationship, you know?”

“I get it,” Alec assured him, taking Magnus’ wrists, thumbing along his pulse points. “I promise. I just feel… Sheepish.”

Magnus chuckled, eyes sparkling with fondness. “It’s never easy to have these conversations.”

Alec hummed, stepping closer to bury his face in Magnus’ neck. “You’re telling me.”

“Give it another six months, yeah? Then we’ll talk about it again. Maybe we start with giving you a drawer in my dresser, hmm?” Magnus coaxed, rubbing Alec’s back.

“God, that definitely would have been a more sensible suggestion.” Alec groaned.

Magnus grinned, kissing Alec’s temple. “If you weren’t a little ridiculous sometimes I wouldn’t love you half as much as I do.”

“Bath’s done,” Alec mumbled, pulling away slowly. The two of them stripped efficiently, Magnus magicking their clothes into the laundry hamper in the bedroom.

By this point, Alec was almost used to Magnus being naked around him. He didn’t feel a desperate stir of arousal at the sight of Magnus’ naked ass like he had done once upon a time, but he did have the irrepressible urge to smack it playfully, and Magnus yelped as he did so. Laughing, Magnus growled softly at him, flicking his nipple.

“Aw, fuck yeah!” Alec whined teasingly, and Magnus snorted, rolling his eyes. Magus had tried showing Alec some vintage porn that he had lying around, and ever since, Alec had taken it upon himself to mock the girlish shrieks of the bottoms whenever context called for it. Alec grinned, utterly pleased with himself as he saw his boyfriend crack a smile. “Can I be big spoon?”

Magnus smiled, rubbing Alec’s hip. “Of course, love. You want a bath bomb or just bubbles?”

“This’ll do,” Alec shrugged, sinking into the bubbles and parting his legs just enough for Magnus to climb in between them, the two of them sighing as they settled together in the water. “I just wanted to hold you close.”

“Mmmmm,” Magnus murmured, pulling Alec’s arms around his waist. “The feeling was more than mutual.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Alec kissing along the length of Magnus’ shoulders, nuzzling into the crook of his neck and up to his hair, which was drooping a little in the humidity of the bathroom. He loved the smell of Magnus’ hair; it was mostly sandalwood, sure, but there was also hairspray and the tiniest hint of musk right at the crown of his head.

Magnus chuckled as Alec stuck his face right in the middle of his mohawk, rubbing his forearms fondly. “That really is your happy place, isn’t it?”

“Mmmmm, yeah,” Alec sighed, squeezing Magnus gently. “Want me to wash it?”

“That would be wonderful,” Magnus admitted. It was never just a simple shampoo and rinse when Alec washed his hair; the younger man went all out, massaging his scalp and kissing down his neck and making him feel utterly, utterly loved.

Alec grabbed the specially brewed shampoo from the shelf above his head while Magnus magicked off his makeup and slipped down into the water to get his hair wet, scritching at his hair under the water to get the most stubborn parts of the product out. When he rose, Alec kissed his shoulders and dug his sudsy fingers right into the base of Magnus’ skull, rubbing in little circles up the back of his head until he got to the longer bit on top, scrunching and rubbing the hair between his fingers.

“I’ve changed my mind,” Magnus breathed, tipping his head into Alec’s touch, “you can move in whenever if I get this every night.”

Alec laughed, shaking his head a little as he worked, ducking his head down to pepper soft kisses up the nape of Magnus’ neck, making him squirm a little. “It’s what you deserve.”

“Mmmmmm, I love you.”

“I love you too,” Alec murmured between brushes of his lips, stroking his fingers through Magnus’ hair to finish off. “Time to rinse.”

Magnus ducked under the water again, Alec’s hands dropping to coax the shampoo from the strands of Magnus’ hair, making sure it was all out before tapping Magnus’ shoulder to get him to sit up again. “God, I could go to sleep now.”

“Can we stay here a little longer?” Alec asked, settling back into the position they’d been in before. “I, uh… I have some questions, if that’s okay.”

“Of course, angel. After that lovely head massage, you can ask me anything you like.” Magnus assured him, closing his eyes.

Alec hesitated. “I’m not asking this out of jealousy, but curiosity.”

Magnus’ shoulders tensed a little, but he nodded, turning his head to glance back at Alec. “Alright… Ask away.”

“Was George the last person you loved, before me?” He enquired shyly, though he held Magnus’ gaze.

“Well…” Magnus shifted, turning his head back to the front, “he was the last serious relationship I had. Dot and I dated for a couple of years in the thirties, but it sort of fizzled out. But he was certainly the last time I… Really lost someone.”

Alec swallowed hard. “What was he like?”

“Alexander, you don’t have to care about this stuff…”

“No, I-I… I wanna know. I promise. He was important to you, right? So I want you to be able to talk about him. I feel awful for making you feel like you had to, to censor yourself somehow.” He explained, squeezing Magnus gently. “But if you don’t want to tell me about him, that’s okay too.”

Magnus nodded, biting his lip. “Well, he was… I suppose in some ways he was similar to you. Fiercely loyal, righteous, a firm believer in justice. He was a fighter. But in other ways he was very different to you. He was… He wasn’t very good at speaking his mind, but honestly, that just made him more interesting. I never quite knew what he was thinking in the first few years. Of course, eventually we figured each other out. But…” Magnus smiled slightly. “Mostly, he was a good man.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to settle for anything less,” Alec chuckled, “I can’t imagine you ever had much time for bad boys.”

Magnus laughed. “On the contrary, I spent the first two hundred years of my life chasing all the wrong people. But I grew out of it eventually. Camille aside, of course.”

“I almost forgot about Camille,” Alec snorted, his arms tightening around Magnus the slightest amount.

“So, what about you? You must have had crushes, even if you didn’t act on them.” Magnus relaxed back into Alec’s arms, resting his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder.

Alec shrugged. “There was a boy in Alicante. He had less than zero interest in me, but I was, like… In puppy love with him. For like, years. It was humiliating.”

“I bet he was flattered.”

“God no, he had no idea I existed,” Alec snorted, smiling a little. “He was a couple of years older than me. We were paired up to spar when I was about fourteen and he was seventeen. He was shirtless so, obviously, I was distracted.”

“Pervert,” Magnus teased, elbowing him gently in the ribs.

“I make no apologies for my weakness for toned tummies.” Alec insisted, thumbing over Magnus’ abs. “But yeah, he got me on my back and straddled me, his arm across my throat. It was…” Alec shivered a little, which made Magnus laugh a little too loudly. “I was fourteen!”

“Of course your sexual awakening happened in training.”

Alec grinned. “Man, I haven’t thought about Cartwright in… Years.”

Magnus hummed, nuzzling into Alec’s chest. “It’s nice to get a little nostalgic from time to time.”

“Yeah… I get it. Why you keep that box. And…” Alec chewed his lip. “I hope I make it in there.”

“Alexander…” Magnus sat up out of the bath, perching on the side so he could look Alec in the eye. “You already did. We could break up tomorrow, and I’d still remember you forever. The impact you’ve made on my life… It’s so new, but I know that it’s unforgettable. You’re going to get pride of place, angel.”

That meant more to Alec than he’d thought it would, the younger man feeling hot tears springing to his eyes. “Yeah?”

“Of course!” Magnus chuckled, thumbing at Alec’s cheek. “Of course.”


End file.
